SPOKANE, Wash – The man known for decades as the South Hill Rapist can now go free, 45 years after the crimes that terrorized Spokane.
A judge Thursday granted the state’s motion to dismiss its petition to hold Kevin Coe at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
Coe already served 25 years in prison, then was declared a sexually violent predator and committed to the DSHS facility.
The state says because of his age and health, Coe no longer fits the criteria, and they don’t have probable cause to hold him.
“Release is not in dispute,” said Judge Julie McKay.
Coe was accused of dozens of rapes in Spokane in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Through appeals and trials, he was ultimately convicted of just one: the rape of a woman who was walking home from a bus stop near 22nd and Rebecca.
Coe’s victims speak
Several of Coe’s victims were in court Thursday and chose to address the court.
Most of them chose not to be identified in court or recorded.
They were young women – in their teens and 20s – when they were attacked. Now, they’re in their 60s as they shared the lifelong impact of these attacks.
Their statements showed a wide range of emotions, from traumatic stress disorder to forgiveness, from anger to grief.
One of them referred to this process as a “re-rape.”
One victim did consent to be identified: longtime Spokane anchor and radio host Shelly Monahan-Cain.
Monahan-Cain was attacked by Coe in 1979 as she left her radio station job on the south hill.
“He had told me during that night he was going to kill me,” she said. “I started praying to God.. I promised God that night I would spend the rest of my life making sure other victims – survivors – can get the help that they need.”
She said if she could talk to Coe, she would beg him to get help and to ask for forgiveness.
“I have forgiven him. I feel free,” she said.
Coe has never admitted guilt and has never sought treatment during his time in prison or at the SCC.
His lawyers say he plans to move to an adult care facility in Pierce County.
Coe was not present in court Thursday.
While some of the offenders released by the Special Commitment Center have strict release guidelines, Coe’s release is unconditional.
That means he can live where he wants and go where he pleases.
He does have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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